Time Trap Cycle I: Past Tense
by Radiant Falcon
Summary: High above Earth's orbit on the star cannon Final Weapon, four unique individuals accidentally meet each other when they were not supposed to. A temporal portal sent them falling nearly one hundred years into the past. To make it back home, they will have to cooperate with others, both native and foreign to the period. The legend that is Time Trap begins anew. ACT 1-0


During the latter hours of the Repliforce War; Colonel had died in battle. As a result, through special Linked Cortex technology, his sister Iris became aggressive, bordering on Maverick. She could not think straight. What made matters worse, was that her lover Zero had dealt the killing blow. Not seeing how anything could fix things, Iris did the only thing she could think of. Engaging the crimson swordsman in battle.

Meanwhile, Mega Man X had his own navigator, Double. When it was reported that Double had decimated a Ride Chaser unit by his own hand and had escaped to Final Weapon, X shot forward to investigate. Double had been awfully quiet and nonchalant about the Repliforce War, despite the fact that he had counted Iris among friends. Had he really been intending to betray them the whole time? The second-generation Mega Man had to find out.

The four of them were heading down a path of inescapable destiny; but the thing about destiny is that it can be rewritten, sometimes overwritten. No one truly predicted what was about to happen on Final Weapon...

-=X=-

Iris looked down at the orb she held in her hands. It was a red orb, containing the power core and DNA soul of her deceased brother. Unlike most reploids with brother and sister designations, Iris and Colonel were indeed part of a set. When one died, the other one's chip would be corrupted; and that often lead to the remaining one being deemed Maverick. The brunette had one option remaining: Colonel's core had to be absorbed if she was to continue living and be able to fight Zero.

"Iris! What are you doing?"

Speak of the devil; there was the red armored, blonde haired warrior himself. Brandishing his trademark green beam sword, the Z-Saber. Iris stated, in a monotone voice; "Zero... I am sorry..."

"Iris, you can't! Think, is this what Colonel would want you to do?"

"Do not speak his name! You were the one who killed him!"

Zero shook his head. "Iris, don't do this to me!"

"Forgive me, Zero!"

by the time Iris raised her brother's core above her head, which was how she would be able to utilize her fallen brother's core; Another, more malevolent battle was going on.

Mega Man X, leader of the 17th Unit, dodged energy blasts from his opponent. "Double! I trusted you!" the cerulean clad hero spoke, to which the traitor replied "That's your issue! You're too trusting!" Double had already destroyed the Ride Chaser unit, and had already moved on X. His beam claws, effectively arm mounted beam sabers, were able to block X's level one shots; but a good level three charge should be able to break his guard. He was fast though, nearly as fast as Zero; but more importantly was more aerial. Zero's combos were ground based, but Double could launch himself from the wall at an angle directly to X, something Zero was never able to do.

And then... something happened. X dodged one of Double's dive bombing attacks, only for the beam claw to hit the core on the north side of the room. X had presumed it to be decorative; Final Weapon was intimidating upon first glance after all. But that core was not meant to be touched, only observed, because when Double hit that part, that wall opened up, revealing another battle in the room across from them. X had discovered that Zero was about to face off against his girlfriend. "Oi! We're trying to fight here, X! Don't be cowardly!" Double taunted.

Iris, meanwhile, had just about charged up the core when the wall opened up. This was supposed to be a battle between herself and Zero, and now here comes X and... is that Double? What was he doing fighting against X? X wouldn't go after his own navigator without a good reason, that much she understood. "What is going on here?" she asked.

"Double's a Maverick." X stated, matter-of-factly. "Damn straight! And I'm going to take all three of you out!"

Zero, for his part, was at least glad Iris was able to think straight now. "Don't bother trying to get your girlfriend out, Zero! I've already disabled the teleporter field!" Double announced.

"Then what's that?"

"Huh?"

Double had disabled the field that allows for quick travel between areas, but a vortex had appeared in that room, filling the ceiling. Four green and gold energies struck the four people inside that room, filling their ocular receptors -their eyes- with a bright light. In the next moment, all four of them had vanished; leaving no trace of them behind.

-=20XX=-

Iris woke up feeling wind in her long brown hair. Lying face up on the ground outside would do that. Her red, blue, and yellow dress, made of more polyester material, was covered in snow. Snow? Wind? Last thing she remembered was being on Final Weapon; and it was a space station in orbit. How could she back on terra firma already? Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes. It was a much more beautiful landscape, for sure; mountainous, snowy; but not like Frost Walrus' snow base. There was more of a heritage to this area; she could tell. Most importantly, there was someone looking over her. A blonde girl; a teenager, wearing a red dress and black tights; with a black Russian hat adoring her head and a pair of large spherical earrings.

"Wow! You're up already? I had figured you would be out for another two days. The weather of my native country is not very kind to robotic systems like yours."

Iris blinked. This girl had known she was not human already? "Oh, how rude of me. My name is Kalinka Cossack. Do you need help?" Iris allowed the stranger to grasp her hand and pull her up. "ow... my head still hurts..."

"You are robotic, and yet you feel pain. I can tell there is also a great sadness in you, as if you lost someone important to you..."

Spot on, this girl. "My mother was descended from a family of fortune tellers. It is a shame she has long since left us..." the girl sighed. "But there is no use dwelling on the past. Come, let's get you inside."

Iris did as she was told. As far as she was concerned, she was a guest.

-=I=-

Iris's systems warmed up somewhat. Coffee helped a lot, as did a bowl of a soup that Kalinka called Borscht. "Your design is fascinating. You act and function much like humans do, but you are mechanical. I would assume that you are a more advanced model of robot?"

"I'm not sure what you mean. I'm classified as a reploid, not a robot. From what I understand, robots were obsol..." looking at the raised eyebrow in Kalinka's face, Iris asked "Ms. Cossack, what's the current date?"

"The twenty second of January, 2057. Do you not know the date?"

"funny... my internal clock still says its August 1, 2157." Iris realized what she just said. "Wait, but that means..."

Kalinka's raised eyebrow turned into a look of shock. "You traveled through time?"

"It wasn't my idea! A massive vortex sucked me and three others up and... I guess spat us out back here..."

"That explains the power outage we faced an hour ago, but if you're from one hundred years in the future, tell me... is there still a Cossack bloodline?"

Iris shook her head. "I don't know. Much of the records we have on file for the 21st century have long been lost, with the only known survivor of this period being Mega Man X. I would guess that he is known to you?"

"I don't know Mega Man X; but I know who Mega Man is. He helped my father, Dr. Mikhail Cossack, out of a jam about four years ago. Dr. Wily had wanted to use his knowledge, and kidnapped me for collateral. My father was a respected roboticist, but he mostly does consultancy work now; I handle most of the robotics work in his stead."

Iris was able to put two and two together. Mega Man X, as she knew; was designed by Thomas Light so... "Then you know of Dr. Light? He is still alive?"

"He is not in your time?"

"No... he passed away, without one to carry on his work." she wondered if she should tell Kalinka about why exactly robots were considered obsolete. She figured, why not? "Kalinka, there is something you must know... the reason why robots are obsolete is because they were deemed to be too dangerous."

"That is true, robots have incredible strength and abilities when compared to humans. Even my dear friend Roll can break my arm if she wanted to, but I have a feeling that... because robots were dangerous, they were all wiped out; is this correct?"

"Based on my understanding, the only reason why X is alive is because he was sealed in a capsule, undergoing thirty years of morality testing, and it was a further seventy before he was found. By then, the event and the people responsible would have been forgotten."

"in that case, I should probably warn Dr. Light, if his creations -my friends- are in any danger of being shut down, they should know."

Iris sighed. "Kalinka... what I told you may very well have changed history. I'm actually not supposed to be thinking straight like this, but yet I am. If you think you can save your friends, more power to you; but... it may end up far worse. If you don't have solid proof... what you say might end up being more detrimental than helpful. I still need to find the three people I came here with."

"I would assume one of these three is X himself, no?"

Iris nodded. "Correct, the other two are Double, who was X's navigator for a time before he turned traitor, and... Zero..."

"Zero? Who's Zero?"

Iris was afraid of telling her. "Zero killed my brother. I can of course see why; that's his job after all. It doesn't hurt any less however. It's no less heartbreaking. In my case... it's far worse."

Kalinka listened intently as Iris explained why. "My brother and I are considered twins. One of us was designed to be a soldier, a warrior; the other one designed to be a supporter, a diplomat. We were also created with specialized link chips, which was how we were able to function normally. If one of us got themselves killed, the other one would become more aggressive, and ultimately result in irreparable mental damage, causing us to go insane. Maverick. I tried to avoid that from happening, but my brother was too proud of his ability and army." Iris bowed her head, nearly breaking down. "In my country there is a saying. 'How well you live makes the difference, not how long.' so I ask, did your brother die doing what he wanted to do?"

"He always wanted to fight Zero at his fullest potential, without holding anything back. He put my own life in danger doing so, but... I suppose so."

"Then you really should not have much to worry about. I can only make conjecture, of course; but if he died happy, then you should be happy for him."

She was right. Iris could continue to be upset, to be sad. She could've gone through with taking in Colonel's power core and then most likely lose to Zero as well... but this teenage human, from one hundred years in the past, had more wisdom in her than most of the fully grown adults in her time. "You know what? You're right. I am happy for him. He got to fight Zero on even terms one last time, even though they were on opposite sides of a war he honestly started. Kalinka... you're a good kid. I'm going to take your advice to heart."

"I am glad for that, Iris. Are you not going to stay the night?"

"No, I have to find Zero. I have to tell him my thoughts; because otherwise... what good would it do? I need to tell him that I'll be fine without my brother's life force, and I've got to find him as soon as possible."

Kalinka recognized her resolve. "If you must go, I can forward you to Cain Computers." (Iris' eyes widened at the name Cain. Dr. Cain was the project leader for the Perfect Soldier Program, which birthed her and Colonel.) "It's a smaller shop, just outside of Osaka, Japan; dealing mostly in terminal hardware. There's a young boy around my age named Alex Cain who currently works there as a technician. Maybe he can help?"

"I'll keep that name in mind, Miss Cossack." Iris agreed. "Please, call me Kalinka. We are friends, are we not?" Kalinka extended her hand. Iris thought. She had a reputation for being hard around humans; seeing as how more than a few of them were self-serving, only interested in their own well being. Still, Kalinka had wisdom beyond her years. "Yeah; we're friends." Iris agreed. "I'll try to avoid harming you as much as possible."

"It is quite alright; I believe myself to be a 'tough cookie' as the Americans put it. There is a trans-server in the lab of this house. Cain Computers is one of the coordinates. Please, do use it; this way you will not attract attention out in the snow."

-=Z=-

"Where the hell am I?" Zero asked aloud. This city was new to him. His long hair, red armor and questionably-placed green gem placements did cause some worry; but explaining that he was a bounty hunter employed by a local woman in the area helped. When asked who, he gave out the name Yuko Mizutani. Of course, no records came up of Yuko Mizutani; but that was handwaved by her being away from the area at the moment. Preliminary scans of the area turned up nothing; and holographic maps displayed not much else. The only thing he could come up with was that his signal was jammed, but even then the rest of his systems; including communication, worked fine.

Communication... that's it! Zero tapped the side of his helmet. He had a direct link to X, sure. But he ultimately decided to contact someone else. "Hello? Zero?" the one at the other end of the line spoke. "Iris? I'm glad you answered and didn't hang up." the warrior spoke.

"Zero... I should apologize. You're right. The Repliforce needed to be stopped."

Zero stumbled. "I... what?"

"I gave it some thought. When we get back to our time; I'll be glad to surrender."

"Our time? What do you mean, Iris?"

"We got shot backwards in time."

That honestly explained the concerned locals and different architectural styles. "You're joking. My readings still say August 1 2157."

"Yeah, well it's actually January 22 2057."

"Oh... oh no. What exactly happened? The last thing I remember was getting hit with some kind of white flash. Where are you for that matter?"

"You're not going to believe this: Cain Computers."

-=I=-

Iris had arrived to Cain Computers' storefront not a minute ago. The trans-server only reached a general area, but at least it was close by. At least comms were still open. "Zero, I'm heading inside. a young girl named Kalinka Cossack told me that a man named Alex Cain works here. If it's the same Alex Cain that we know... I'm going to get more information. Hopefully he knows."

"If it's 100 years before our time, he should be only 20 now. There's no way he'd know who we are."

"Then we should make sure he does. Huh, store's open. He should be in. Iris out."

Iris could swore he heard "wait a minute" before she cut comms. Opening the door, a bell sound was heard. A young man, with parting dark red hair and a navy blue t-shirt with yellow trim, and a pair of blue jeans was across the counter. "Hey, haven't seen you around before. You new?"

"Um... yeah, but I do know Kalinka Cossack."

"Really? She sent you my way huh? Well, name's Alex. Alex Cain. What's yours?"

Iris bit her lip. "um... Iris. Iris Thorne, serial-"

"Don't worry about serial numbers here. As far as I'm concerned, robots are just as much part of the population as us humans are. Seems like you're autonomous. Who's your creator?"

_You're my creator, to an extent..._ Iris thought about saying. "Uh... he died yesterday." it wasn't wrong, Alexander Cain did die July 31, 2157; just hours before Colonel did. Yet, here she was directly speaking to him. A far younger version of him, but him nonetheless. "Didn't really know him all that much; I was raised by committee."

"Yikes, the government. Governmental bodies should never be involved in raising and teaching an android. That's kinda why Robot Masters tend to be all over the place in terms of cooperation. I even see a few of them in my shop. One of them works deliveries; named Quick Man, though her real name is Hikaru Wily."

Quickman was a girl the whole time? "I see the confused look on your face. Truth be told, Quickman was created by Wily as the first female Robot Master, but she was called Quick _Man_ because that's kinda how Wily works I guess. If there's one thing you can say about him, equal opportunity employer is at the top of the list."

"Where is she?"

"She'll be back before you know it. Her Robot Master name isn't Quick for nothing." a ding sounded from the door, which was opened by a slim red and black robot, one looking more male than female, and with short brown hair with two white spikes curving outward. On the arms, yellow ovals; on the chest, a yellow crescent. "Hi, Alex! One oh seven. New record!"

"Nice. Uh, Hikaru, this is Iris. She's new around here, so if you can show her around..."

Iris froze. "um... I really should be going and finding out what happened to the rest of my crew. My ex Zero might want to know what's up, and I have a sneaking suspicion about Mega Man X..."

"Mega Man X?" Quickman asked, curiously. "Like, I know the blue kid is famous and all, but does he really need an upgrade?" that's when Iris realized she said too much. "Don't worry about it. I kinda just retired from fighting in general; even going so far as to ask Alex to reprogram my CPU. He doesn't look it, but he's quite the coder, even going so far as to reverse and delete loyalty protocols. I'm perfectly content just living. Though there is a part of me that worries; my annual check up is tomorrow. Wily had taken the last eight robots last year, and... I don't know about you, but I don't want to go back to that old coot."

there was a lot of things Quickman said that worried Iris. "You don't look like you were built by Wily, or Light, or hell even Cossack. Your design gives it away, more military than anything. And that R insignia on your dress... I've not seen any company or outfit that has that logo. I don't mean to pry, but... care to explain?"

By the time she explained her significance to Alex Cain and Hikaru "Quickman" Wily; Alex was in awe. Hikaru wasn't so much stunned as skeptical, but knowing that Iris came from a future where everyone, including her, was dead made some semblance of sense. If a robot fails their check-up, they are often terminated. The only exception to this was Protoman, but that was because many of the parts used to repair him have long since been off the market, and he staunchly refused to go to Dr. Light for anything, let alone checkup. He saw others instead; smaller, less famous roboticists than the ones who created him. "The future, huh...? That explains your design. You said that you're part of something called Repliforce?" Hikaru asked.

"Was. My brother was one of the leaders of that organization, and he was killed as a Maverick; something of an out of control reploid criminal. I didn't want to live without my brother, and for whatever reason the Link Chip that connects me and him, for some reason, is being tricked into thinking he's still out there. It's not supposed to do that."

Alex had considered this. "You know, if I was mechanical and had a special link chip, I'd want to preserve that link for as long as possible. In your case it's not possible at all, so I'm wondering... maybe your brother is here and you don't know it?"

Iris shook her head. "I would be able to detect his presence in the immediate area. It's plausible since I'm not exactly going crazy; but... I doubt he's in the area and if he is, odds are he's still very bitter. Even if he did fall through the same time warp we did, the odds of that are incredibly slim."

"I don't think time warps exist in the same way you're thinking. Those kind of things only show up every hundred years, and even then not on this planet."

"So what do you call it then, Hikaru?"

The Robot Master sometimes known as Quickman answered the one from the future. "Doctor Wily was experimenting with time manipulation around the time I left. It's a dangerous gamble; and I tried to warn Wily about it, but he would have none of it. I left shortly afterward. In fact, a lot of Robot Masters tended to leave; myself and Metal Man from Series II, the entire Series VI, Tengu Man and Sword Man off of Series VIII; even one of the more recent creations Blast Man from Series XI. There's still a lot of loyal Robot Masters, though."

"A mass exodus... X had mentioned something similar happened to the Maverick Hunters when he was starting out. Maverick Hunters are basically a police squad comprised entirely of reploids, and the Repliforce was more militaristic in nature."

Alex rubbed his chin. "Conflict after conflict, and still no peace a hundred years later. I'd hedge bets that this X you mentioned is a Maverick Hunter."

"Zero as well. There was another one that was warped with us, named Double; but he turned out to be turncoat. Like, he was always Maverick but we didn't know kind of turncoat. I'm hesitant to access communication with him now."

Hikaru replied, "Here's a thought; what happened that led you four here?"

"We were fighting. X was battling Double, and I had engaged Zero in combat. I'm technically considered a Maverick now; and as a result Zero had to kill me. It turns out that we were fighting in the exact same room, separated by something of a hidden door. I had almost fully morphed into a mecha form; but I had cancelled the charge when-" Iris gasped. "I knew it. I knew there was more to that conflict. Why would my brother start a coup d'etat; it's not in the mission statement. Someone had to be antagonizing him... but who? And why?"

Alex nodded. "It's best if you keep talk of coup d'etats between us, Iris. That said, I'd count your lucky stars you can cancel out of a charge. Not many can do that, not even in this time. As for who would want to egg on your brother into fighting against your allies... I'm not sure. That sounds awfully like a Wily thing, but it would be one hundred years in the future and by that point Wily would be long dead." Hikaru, DWN-012, said "He's only maybe 50. Between him and Light, he was always the older one..."

Having no prior knowledge of the past before, and now being in it and knowing far more than she was ever able to before was exciting, but... something still didn't sit well with Iris. Alex was Alexander Cain, credited with her and Colonel's creation, but in all of his lessons, he never mentioned that he had befriended a Robot Master, let alone Quickman. Maybe Alzheimer's would claim him, he was human after all, but he would've mentioned this before. "Do- I mean, Mr. Cain; do you think you can-"

An explosion rocked the nearby window. Taking cover was instinctive for Alex; Iris covered the back of her neck, while Hikaru summoned her helmet, red and yellow with a yellow v-shaped crescent adorning it. "You two wait here. I'm going to investigate."

-=W=-

Quickman rushed out the door to Cain Computers. She was one of the oldest model Robot Masters, Series II specifically, and by far the fastest. Cain Computers was situated on the north side of an intersection, so odds are the explosion would have to have come from one of the three other cardinal directions. She didn't have to wait long to find out where it came from, as a drill-like weapon flew towards her face. "Hah!" she taunted as she dodged the weapon, which latched on to a nearby lamppost before being destroyed. "Crashman, you've got to work on your aim!"

sure enough, the assailant turned out to be an orange-armored robot with drill-like apparatuses for hands and a light blue protective visor. This was Crashman, another Series II Robot Master. "Quickman! I knew you'd be available sooner or later." he sneered.

"What's the meaning of this? I told you I was retired from fighting!" Quickman asked.

"Doc Wily isn't happy that you escaped him, after all you were one of the first to be built." Crashman smirked underneath his visor. "I respect you, but you know the Doc's orders come first."

"I don't want anything to do with him." Quickman growled. "Not anymore."

"Who said you have a choice? But since we're on the subject, either come peacefully or come in pieces." Crashman armed one of the bombs in his drill hands, the famous Crash Bomber. "Need I remind you... you're still a wanted criminal. Wouldn't you rather come back to your family willingly?"

"You're not my family, and Dr. Wily certainly is not."

"Ah, but you see we've already captured Metal Man, and your friend Plant Man is next on the block. Tell you what, I'll convince Dr. Wily to let them go free if you come back home."

A low growl escaped Hikaru's lips. Metal Man, known to her as Tetsu Wily; and Lily "Plant Man" Astil were close friends of hers and she was not going to let them go quietly. If Dr. Wily had already converted Metal Man... then she heard a humming noise. Then a sound akin to a high pitched 'schawi' sound, one coming from a robot in all yellow and light blue.

"huh, how pathetic. Taking hostages like this? You should be ashamed of yourself."

In a hunched over stance brandishing two arm-mounted beam claws -one in each arm- was the maverick Double, standing in front of the scarlet streak. "And you call yourself a Maverick." he stated, confidently, in the same kind of tone that he would use to curse out his nemesis X.

"and just who are you to say that, mister 'I-have-swords-for-hands'?"

"You can call me Double, for one thing. And I don't appreciate it when people take hostages. Call it residual Hunter data, call it a sense of honor among thieves. Now I'm anxious to tear you apart!"

"Heh, you'll have to-"

"Destroyer Ball!"

Double splayed his left arm to form a large blue energy sphere, glistening with energy. Then he kicked said energy sphere directly at Crashman; who was damaged by the resulting energy reaction. "guh... alright. I see you have some allies. Fine. Wily will be hearing about this, and he'll send more than just me."

"Get out of here before I show you my Maverick side." Double maliciously stated.

"You just remember I was the nice one." Crashman teleported out. "Hm. He's not likely to come back." Double scoffed.

-=I=-

the next few minutes were a whirlwind for Iris. Having witnessed what went on through the now destroyed window, she realized that A: Wily's goons were after Hikaru and were understandably bitter; B: Double wasn't nearly as big of a turncoat as she thought, and C: she had to contact X and Zero about it.

The only one she got in touch with was Zero. After going to the back of the store she was in (Alex Cain allowed her entrance so as to not disturb any of the customers he was going to get) Iris explained what she saw to the Scarlet Slasher. "So you're saying that Maverick Double has a code of honor? Pfft. I'll believe it when I see it. What worries me is that Dr. Wily is gunning for his old robots and if that's the case he'll probably mistake you for one of his."

"Still, Hikaru said that some of Wily's older models managed to eke out a new life. She also said that he's got two of her friends, those that already defected. She's in massive danger, but she doesn't want to go directly to Dr. Light. I suppose that's why she hangs out with Doc- I mean Alex. I think that, if push came to shove..."

"She'll sacrifice herself for her friends' sake?"

"Probably." then a thought occurred to Iris. "Zero, can you check if you still have Colonel's frequency?"

"Don't you?" Zero got curious.

"No, I never thought I'd need it again, so I deleted his frequency."

"That's... not reassuring. I'll check."

Iris was put on hold. The brunette waited for a good two minutes before Zero called back, saying "Iris... I've got good news. I still have your bro's frequency!"

the smile on Iris' face lit up the rest of the room. "Can you contact him? Try to make it a conference?"

One minute later, and the image of a white-and-black armored soldier with a red chinplate appeared in the left corner of Iris' HUD. "This is the Repliforce Colonel. Make it- Zero? Iris?"

If Reploids could cry actual tears, Iris would be putting on the waterworks right now. "Brother... I..."

"Iris, there is no need to be sad. I am right here, after all."

"But how? I saw Zero run you through..."

Colonel frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Yes... I saw the whole thing... You started a coup and... and..."

"Hm. It is something I will have to avoid then."

Right there, something clicked in Iris' brain. The Colonel she knew was prideful, boasting of military might and his own abilities; but to a fault. It was Colonel who started the idea of a coup d'etat, and by doing so sealed Repliforce's fate. But this couldn't be the same one... could it? "Brother. I must ask. What is my middle name?"

"Rose. Did you forget?" the stern, baritone voice of the Colonel responded. "You tell me, what is my real name, then?"

"Christopher. Christopher Kyle Thorne." When Colonel nodded in approval, Iris dropped what she knew. "You are my brother, and yet... you seem a lot younger, more green."

"I was only activated a few months prior to this event, same as you."

"What was the last thing you remember doing? If you can also give me your internal calendar date I would appreciate it."

Colonel informed his sister that to him it was June 1, 2157; two months before Iris's own death, the brunette noted. "I do not see how it relates to the current conversation, however. Would you care to explain that?" Colonel asked.

"Right now I'm stranded in the year 2057, the specific date is January 22."

"what happened? Where are you right now?"

Zero interrupted. "We; by we I mean myself, X, Iris and Double, all ended up in the same place, at the wrong time, and now we've stranded in a time period we have no experience of. I'm on the way to Osaka, for instance. Where are you?"

"Sky Lagoon RFB; I have been stationed here for the past month." Colonel responded. The look on Zero's face told him what he needed to know. A line to the Future had just opened up. Iris wondered if telling him about Sky Lagoon's ultimate fate was a good idea. "Colonel, if you can; try to fortify Sky Lagoon's defenses, especially near the power reactor." she concluded.

"And why must we do that? The reactor is impregnable, and King Dragon Eregion is defending all blind spots. No one can get in without-"

"Just trust me on this, okay?"

"Regardless on your feelings, the proper forms and authorizations must be filled out, and since you seem to be stranded in a time period one hundred years before now, it may take some time. Approximately thirty days." Colonel relayed.

"You're gonna have to tell General then. Make sure the reactor only opens up to high-ranking Maverick Hunter or Repliforce personnel; such as technicians and Unit Commanders included." Iris continued. "In the case of extreme emergency, make sure there is a failsafe and auxiliary power."

"Why are you telling me this? Am I not your senior officer?"

"Technically, no." Zero answered. "You heard Iris, I had to destroy you. She outlives you by a few days. On top of that, you said you were activated a few months ago, which if memory serves was that whole fiasco on Laguz Island. Bottom line: You may have more combat data on you, but Iris has more information."

"Indeed, that is why I had assigned her to the Hunters. That said, how will I know she won't engage in combat?"

the one thing Iris was forbidden to do was fight, she was to leave that to the Hunters or Colonel. On one hand, this was before Repliforce had made their move, but on the other hand... "you don't. This is a strange time to me, and I'll try to avoid conflicts as much as possible, but some cannot be avoided. Should that be the case, I make no guarantees." Iris answered. Zero continued "that, and she has a mean left hook, and her piloting skills are top notch."

"I see. If you make it back, I will expect a report and a full dossier on her skills and abilities, Zero. I do need to know what she is capable of, and what skills need improvement. That goes double for you too, Iris. You may be indisposed of for the moment, but your actions will reflect upon myself and the Repliforce. Should your post-op assessment not be up to standard..."

"I know, I know, you'll transfer me out of the Hunters permanently, right? Don't think I didn't hear that spiel before." Iris stated, with a small smile on her face. "Still, I accept. I'll do my best."

"ten-four. I must ask now, where is X?"

Iris gulped. This was one thing she didn't know, and she informed Colonel. "I see. Contact me again when you have found him; in the meantime I will requisition funds to see about upgrading the Sky Lagoon defenses. I make no promises, however. General will want to know where the information came from and where you are."

"You tell him tactical command training, and that I won't be available for the foreseeable future. You make sure you let him know you authorized it. Zero and I will try to locate X. Oh, and if anyone at Repliforce asks where I am, you say it's temp-locked. You should let Caelin Beckett, Shelley Louise and Joule Voltaire in on the secret, but no one else."

"Why those three? They are not Repliforce."

"They're civilian friends and personal confidants. If you have to, take them into to protective custody or something, but be sure you give them updates. I want them in the loop, brother."

"Very well. I will defer to your judgment on this one. Is there anything else, Lieutenant Colonel Thorne?"

"_Lieutenant Colonel? Did I just get a promotion?" _Iris thought to herself. "um... I would like permission to speak freely." she still had to get used to the fact that her brother was alive in the future, but wasn't the brother she knew per se. She quickly added "sir. Commander Zero, this is going to be a private conversation so if you don't mind... scram."

-==EYECATCH==-


End file.
